Thai Forest Bulletin

28
plants with both green and purple leaves, supporting
the conclusion of Corner (1960) that they represent
colour forms of the same species, though the
relationship with a second species of pollinator remains
unexplained. Furthermore, the consistency
in leaf colour of individuals grown from cuttings,
THAI FOREST BULLETIN (BOTANY) 40
and that green-leaved progeny were obtained from
a purple-leaved parent, indicate that the difference
is likely to refl ect a genetic dimorphism, rather
than an environmentally-induced response. Leaf
colour is not restricted to one or other plant sex
(both male and female purple-leaved plants were
Table 1. Ficus montana colour morph frequencies in western Thailand. Note that it is often diffi cult to
distinguish between adjacent individuals because of the spreading growth form of the plants, and the frequencies
are therefore only approximate.
Province Location Year Typical Purple
Kanchanaburi Pha Tad 2008 3 0
Sai Yok Yai 2008 1 0
Dai Chong Tong waterfall 2008 8 6
Erawan National Park 2009 18 6
Huai Mae Khamin 2009 31 0
Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park 2009 2 0
Kra Teng Jeng Waterfall 2010 >40 0
Suphan Buri Ta Pern Kee Noi waterfall, Phu Toei
National Park
2009 1 5
Phetchaburi Kaeng Krachan National Park 2009 8 0
Total >112 17
Table 2. The sequence of colour forms of Ficus montana along the western bank of the Erawan waterfalls
stream, arranged from north-south. The distance between plants 1 and 24 was approximately 1,500 metres.
Plant Leaf colour Plant Leaf colour
1 Green 13 Green
2 Green 14 Purple
3 Green 15 Green
4 Green 16 Green
5 Green 17 Green
6 Purple 18 Green
7 Purple 19 Green
8 Green 20 Green
9 Purple 21 Green
10 Green 22 Green
11 Purple 23 Green
12 Purple 24 Green